The second annual Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon), hosted at UC Berkeley on October 25 and October 26, 2014, is happy to invite proposals for conference sessions now through June 15. Applicants will be notified by July 15. To submit, see instructions below.

Now in its second year, QGCon is a free, weekend-long, interdisciplinary event. The goal of QGCon is to create an open and inclusive environment for discussing the intersection of video games and LGBTQ issues, however you define them. QGCon brings together academics and game developers to foster dialogues that break traditional disciplinary boundaries. The QGCon organizers believe in the importance of creativity and play as tools for intellectual and personal exploration. We are particularly interested in broadening our focus to address issues of race and gender non-normativity, and we encourage submissions from folks who have long gone underrepresented in games and the games industry.

The theme for this year’s QGcon is Difference at Play. This theme is designed to spark ideas, not to limit them. Feel free to submit a session proposal even if your idea falls outside the theme. Some questions inspired by the theme might include:

- What does it mean to play differently?
- What does it mean to play at difference itself?
- In what way can “difference” speaks to questions of race, gender, and sexuality for games and those who play them?
- How do we define “mainstream” and how do we define “different”?

Other questions related to queerness and games that speakers might consider include:

- What does it mean to play queerly?
- What does it mean to design queerly?
- In what ways are queer characters depicted in games?
- What is the place of queer gamers in larger gaming communities?
- How is queerness perceived in the games industry?
- What happens when we put queer studies in conversation with game studies?

QGCon welcomes proposals from speakers of all backgrounds, including but not limited to: game developers, indie designers, academics, artists, and activists. Potential session types include but are also not limited to: solo talks, pair or group talks, panels, workshops, live interviews, microtalks, and play sessions. Please feel free to be creative when envisioning your presentation.

In order to submit, please send the following to qgconference@gmail.com by June 15, 2015. Applications will receive notifications by July 15.

1) A 300- to 500- word abstract of your proposed session, including a description of any visual or interactive elements. Be sure to specify what type of session you are proposing, if you are proposing to speak with other speakers (e.g. on a panel), and how long you would like to present for.

2) A 50- to 100-word bio for each presenter.

Feel free to direct any questions to qgconference@gmail.com. We look forward to your submission, and we can’t wait to see you at QGCon 2014!

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By web submission at 05/05/2014 - 21:14

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